In today’s society, we are judgmental, hateful, and harsh. We judge people based on beliefs, opinions, feelings, and many more things that really have no effect on us directly. For humans, arguing seems to be one of our favorite things to do. One of the biggest arguments today is the argument between vegans and those who eat meat. Some things that non-vegans generally think is that being vegan is difficult, unhealthy, or pointless. In my experience, not only do people make me feel bad for my decision to not eat meat, but they also love to criticize me on things that they truly don’t know a lot about. I never feel wrong about my decision to be vegan but some things that people can say about veganism truly do hurt. But those things people say don’t hurt nearly as much as the animals that your body serves as a graveyard to, hurt as they are killed.

A lot of people don’t believe in veganism because they don’t know a lot about it. People think vegans don’t get enough protein, only eat junk food, and that we shove our beliefs down people’s throats. All of these arguments aren’t true. Let me explain why by showing you all some common things non-vegans have said and explaining why they aren’t true.

1.Vegans don’t get any protein or calcium

So, first of all, ALL PLANTS CONTAIN PROTEIN as well as amino acids, which our bodies use to make in to protein. If we eat enough healthy plant calories, it’s nearly impossible not to get enough protein. Also, you don’t need to drink milk to get calcium!! Kale, spinach, leafy greens, soy milk, and tofu all kick milk’s ass in terms of calcium. Next argument please.

2. It’s too expensive to be vegan. I can’t afford it!

Some vegan foods can be expensive, like if you do your shopping at Whole Foods. But vegan shopping is actually quite easy and not really all that expensive. Some easy and inexpensive vegan foods you can purchase include nuts and seeds, beans, grains, granola bars, crackers, rice, oatmeal, cereals, pastas, hummus, and bread. None of these things are particularly expensive and can also be bought in bulk. At many grocery stores, you can find many things for under a dollar, such as a 10 pound bag of potatoes, a 2 pound bag of carrots, and tomato sauce.

3. Meat is good for you!!!

This is probably the biggest argument between vegans and meat-eaters. Meat is in fact not as ‘good’ for you as you may think. First of all, meat significantly increases your risk for getting cancer. Those of you who claim there is no proof of this, let me explain. Processed meats, such as bacon, sausages, hot dogs, and salami are all in a group 1 classification as meat that CAUSES CANCER. Meat such as pork, beef, and lamb are in group 2, which significantly increases your chances of getting cancer. Besides cancer, eating meat also increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Meat, dairy products, and eggs all contain cholesterol and saturated fats which contributes to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and various cancers. According to the American Diabetes Association, people who eat high amounts of animal protein are 22% more likely to develop diabetes. Saturated fat has been linked to breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and cognitive decline.

4. Humans are the top of the food chain! It’s the circle of life!!!

This one really gets me. There’s a HUGEdifference between ego and eco. People that can afford to eat meat are most likely not fighting for their survival as our ancestors once were hundreds of thousands of years ago. The modern man has broken the circle of life by destroying our environment and murdering innocent beings. Animals are intelligent and loving and have the ability to feel, think, experience emotions, and realize when horrible situations happen, just as we humans do. They make connections with other animals JUST LIKE US and mourn at the loss of their friends, children, and significant others, JUST LIKE US. Just because we are bigger and stronger does not mean we can take advantage of these beautiful beings. Check your ego.

5. Eating a vegan diet won’t help the earth! Eating meat does no harm to our environment!

Let me lay you down the facts. Cows must consume 16 pounds of vegetation in order to convert them into a single pound of meat. Raising animals for food consumes over half of the total amount of water used in the United States. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. It only takes 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat. Producing a single hamburger uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles.Are we seeing a pattern here? Of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the United States, over one third is used for raising animals for food. In a typical slaughterhouse, the same amount of raw waste is generated as a city containing 12,000 people. Raising animals for food has become the number one source of water pollution in the world. 87% of all land in the United States is used to raise animals that will soon be viciously slaughtered. The world’s cows alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of about 8.7 billion people, which, if you didn't know, exceeds the Earth’s population. Still think that eating meat doesn't harm the environment?

6. Cows need to be milked! It hurts them if they aren’t!

Wrong. Cows, like human females, only produce milk when pregnant. And also like human females, they use their milk to FEED THEIR BABIES. Mother cows on dairy farms are continuously impregnated year after year just so they give birth and produce milk. Dairy farmers forcibly and artificially inseminate female cows. Don’t think animals can be raped? Let’s take a look at the definition. Rape is defined as unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth, with or without force, with a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without consent. Since cows can’t speak up and say ‘no’, farmers forcibly shove their hands in the bodies of female cows in order to get them pregnant. Not to mention, after they have the baby, it’s immediately taken away from them and raised to follow in it’s mother’s footsteps, or slaughtered for food.

7. I’m a vegetarian! I still help save animals, right?

Although you are not actually eating meat, you may be eating byproducts of animals such as dairy, eggs, or even honey. Eating animal byproducts is essentially eating and is also taking part in harming animals. As I said before, mother cows need to be pregnant in order to produce milk. Milk is used to make cheese, yogurt, and other products like so. Ladies? We all go through that painful time of the month every 30 or so days and if you didn’t know, so do chickens. An egg is essentially a chicken’s menstrual cycle. Skip the stage of going vegetarian and really make a difference by going vegan!

So all in all, I wrote this article to show you that there are facts and valid rebuttals for every argument a meat-eating human may have. My goal isn’t to convert people to being vegan or force them to change their eating habits. My goal is to educate and show you what really goes on in the meat and dairy industries and how animals are really treated. So next time you’re taking a bite out of your double bacon cheeseburger, remember the sweet baby cow who was ripped from their mother just a few days after birth. That’s who your body will now be a graveyard for.

Here are some websites I used and ones you should check out!

-http://freefromharm.org/dairyfacts/

-http://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/how-does-eating...

-http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/a...

-http://www.cggc.duke.edu/environment/valuechainana...

-https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/dai...

-http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/farm/hsus...